


Perfect Life

by RhysTrash



Category: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Feysand being cute, Fluff and Angst, Follow up to previous Feysand work, Rhys is such an overprotective father, feysand baby - Freeform, mention of domestic abuse (Tamlin)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-28
Updated: 2017-07-31
Packaged: 2018-12-08 05:06:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11639529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RhysTrash/pseuds/RhysTrash
Summary: Original Work: It All Started With a BookstoreDirect follow up from that.I recommend reading that before this.





	1. New Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> I was thinking of this for a while, but I struggled with naming the baby.  
> My other Feysand fic got some really good feedback, I wasn't going to initially post this, but someone commented on my other fic asking about an epilogue with Feysand babies, so I decided to finish it up and post it. I'm not sure how many chapters to write for this as I have another idea to add to the plot.

How to describe my life right now? Using another word than perfect? That’s not possible. If there was a way to measure perfection, my life would have broken the scale, everything was perfect. I’d married my soul mate and we were expecting our first baby. We’d moved to a bigger place, two of my paintings had found a home in the Velaris Gallery of Art, Rhys had published a novel about our story and everyone was excited for the new addition to our family. Mor was easily the most excited. We still had the struggle of choosing godparents. It was near impossible for Rhys to choose between Cassian and Azriel, I had my sisters to take into consideration but also Mor and Amren. Mor was likely going to be godmother, she was family to Rhys and was always there for both of us. She was around more than my sisters, and although I loved them both, it felt better choosing Mor. We hadn’t told her yet, we were waiting until the baby was born.  
Rhys was betting it was going to be a girl, he told me my scent was too girly for it to be a boy, how my scent had changed was beyond me, but he was convinced it was to be a girl. I got terrible morning sickness, so I came to the conclusion that I got so sick because my body was trying to make parts that it wasn’t familiar with. Rhys had laughed when I told him this theory, claiming that I was very familiar with those parts.  
Names were another difficulty, if it was a girl, we discussed naming her after Rhys’s mother and if it was a boy, naming him after my father. We ended up thrashing that idea, deciding we wanted this baby to have their own name.

I was walking across the Sidra to head to my first art class of the week. My stomach hadn’t grown that much, even though I was five months pregnant. It worried me that I was still so small, but Amren had assured me it was perfectly fine, that each pregnancy was different. Rhys had taken to walking me to work every morning, but he’d had a meeting with his publishers today, they wanted him to do a book tour for his latest novel, but he refused as I was pregnant and he wanted to be there for me. He would have gone if the dates were different, but he would have been in Vallahan two days before my due date and didn’t want to risk it. Instead, he politely declined and told his publishers that he wanted to stay with me so we could experience the pregnancy together, although it mostly consisted of him holding my hair back every morning, making sure I ate enough and deciding how to decorate the baby’s room. 

I unlocked the door and began to place canvases on easels. I moved small tables beside each easel and placed random objects on each one. I waited patiently for the class to arrive, sitting on a chair in the corner of the room. I leaned my head against the wall and took deep breaths. The nausea was a problem, it still came in spells, Amren had tried me on three different tonics but none worked and she feared the others would harm the baby. I wasn’t taking that risk, so instead I dealt with the spells of nausea, seeking comfort beside Rhys, except times like this, when Rhys wasn’t there, then I tried focusing on spots on the ceiling or distracting myself. The class arrived and took their seats, I explained the task and walked around the room a few times. I started sketching ideas for the baby’s room, I was to start painting soon, while I could still move easily, although I had many ideas, none seemed perfect enough. I wanted a neutral theme as we didn’t know if the baby was going to be a boy or a girl. We had the option to find out, but we wanted it kept a surprise. Unfortunately, having Amren as our healer, meant Mor knew, which meant Azriel likely knew and that Cassian had been told too. Basically, it’s our baby but we’re the only two who don’t know what it’s going to be. We nicknamed the baby “Little Star”, we thought that was neutral enough to last until the baby decided it was ready to be born. I was currently sketching a winter scene, fuzzy animals playing in the snow, I debated adding little scarves and hats to the animals, the logical side of me said no, but baby brain said yes. I’d sketched an autumn scene and a summer scene too. I was not going to even think about a spring themed room. It could be cute, but having that reminder of Tamlin surrounding my baby wasn’t what we wanted. The winter one was really cute, but I still wasn’t convinced. It had to be perfect. I set my sketchbook aside and took another walk around the room. The paintings were coming along really well, I plopped down in front of my book again and starting sketching the night sky, it was my go to drawing when I was stuck, I thought it might be too dark for a baby’s room though. If I added constellations and fireworks it could brighten it up, however our bedroom was done in a night sky design. Perhaps just a forest, with woodland animals. I spent most of my teenage years in a forest, so I knew it could be beautiful and that the animals were cute, before I hunted them. I felt guilty when I went hunting, but my family needed to survive. I began to draw the forest near my old cottage, my forest. I sketched in the different trees, laurel, holly, ash, rowan, birch, blackthorn, hazel and oak. I added in fawns, rabbits, squirrels and birds. It wasn’t any particular season, perhaps summer? I really liked it so far, it had a nice personal touch but was also happy. I finished up my sketch and took one last walk around the classroom. Everyone was finishing up with their paintings. I gave bits of advice here and there, but this class was experienced enough to not need much. The class ended and everyone left one by one. I brought my sketch up to the studio and set up a fresh canvas. I began to paint the scene. I was starting to go into detail when the doorbell went. 

“Feyre!” I instantly knew it was Rhys. I trudged down the stairs and went to greet him. He walked towards me and wrapped his arms around me, he kissed my lips gently before pulling away to look at me. “Well, you certainly have the pregnant lady glow, even if you don’t look pregnant.” he smirked.

“I’m showing a little bit!” I argued, pulling my shirt back to show the slight bump. 

“Come on, you have a healer’s appointment and I don’t want to be late. I think we should to talk to Amren again about how small you are. The baby only has four months left to grow and so fair it looks like our Little Star is going to be very very tiny.”

“All babies are tiny.”

“Well Little Star is going to be especially tiny at this rate.” he mumbled, placing his hands on my stomach. “Has there been much kicking today?” 

“Non stop. I think this is the first time they’ve decided to stop kicking me.”

“Aw they don’t want to kick me, that’s all it is.” he laughed. At that moment Little Star decided to kick their little feet, Rhys smiled, not moving his hands away.

“Come on, we’d better go!” I announced, reaching for my coat.

“But Little Star is kicking me! Wait two minutes.” Rhys argued.  
“You can keep your hand on my stomach while we walk to the healer’s.”

“Okay, that’s fair.” he dropped down to his knees and pressed a quick kiss to my stomach. “I can’t wait for this little one to come along.” he whispered.

“Me too, just please don’t hurt me. Okay, Little Star?” as if in response, I felt two quick kicks, before Little Star rolled over. Probably gone to sleep. Rhys took my hand, I locked up and we began to walk.

“We got a message from Lucien today, himself and Elain are coming for a visit soon. He said there’s something he wants to tell you, but wants to say it in person. He didn’t specify how soon though.” Rhys said.

“Probably a few months. Maybe he wants to propose to Elain and thinks it’ll be easier to get my permission than Nesta’s.” I laughed.

“Nesta seems to have gotten nicer.”

“Well, she has mellowed since she got with Cassian. I don’t know how he handles her.”

“Archeron sisters are a stubborn bunch.” Rhys smirked.

“I’m going to assume I am excluded from that as I am no longer an Archeron.” I said, pushing his arm.

“Of course you are, you’re the most stubborn Nightfall I know.” he laughed, kissing my cheek.

“You’re not hard to beat.” I laughed. He kissed my cheek again and we entered the healer’s. Amren came out to greet us and lead us to her office. I lay back on the chair and she got to work. I stared at the small screen that would show us the baby. She smeared the cold jelly on my stomach and got to work. Soon enough, Little Star was on the screen. I couldn’t help but smile. 

“Okay, so the baby is the size it should be, but you’re still so small. You should start trying to put up a bit of weight. For now it’s nothing to worry about, but if you’re this small in two months time the baby won’t have anywhere to grow.” Amren said.

“So what should she be eating?” Rhys asked.

“Start by getting a better meal plan. Eat food for lunch, don’t just get smoothies. Maybe cut back on the amount of work you’re doing, some people lose weight when they’re stressed.”

“Okay, I can do that.” I said, tearing my eyes away from our baby.

“Feyre, did you ever suffer from an eating disorder? Do you struggle to keep food down?”

“Um, when I was still with Tamlin I started forgetting to eat and when I did I couldn’t keep it down.”

“So that was over a year, did you ever get back to your original weight?” Amren asked.

“Yes, but I started to lose weight when I got pregnant. The nausea usually makes me hurl it back up.”

“When do you get nauseous? Is there a pattern?”

“Not really. Mostly in the mornings, sometimes when I’m at work and in the evenings.”

“Do you get sick in the middle of the night?”

“Sometimes.”

“Okay, this could be a problem. I know you’re fed up hearing this but you are eating for two now, so keeping food down is important. I know it’s tough but try eating something when the nausea subsides, drink water when you feel nauseous. It might help.”

“How can this affect the baby?” Rhys asked.

“It’s not the baby I’m worried about. The baby is healthy, it’s Feyre I’m worried about. If your body is weak, child birth could very well kill you.”

“Okay, well I’ll start eating a bit more. Are there any home remedies for nausea I could try?”

“Some teas have been effective with other patients. See if they work for you.” Amren replied. I merely nodded, gripping Rhys’s hand.  
As we walked back to our house, I couldn’t bring myself to speak.

“You’ll be okay.” Rhys muttered, kissing my hair.

“I know, I’m just worried.” I replied.

“Don’t stress, it’s not good for the baby. We’re going to go home, you are going to plonk down onto the sofa, put your feet up, you can draw or read or anything you want, just relax. I’m going to buy those teas and you can stuff your face with chocolate.” Rhys said.

“Sounds good.” I mumbled. I couldn’t help but think of the worst. What if I wasn’t helping Little Star? What if they were sick because of me? Or didn’t make it? What if I didn’t make it? I shook my head, we reached our house. Rhys set me up on the sofa, keeping blankets close by and dropping a heap of chocolate beside me. 

“I’ll be back in a few minutes.” he said, kissing me gently.  
***  
The next few months flew in. Peppermint tea helped subside the nausea and my bump was now huge. It excited me that the baby was big now, that I had helped Little Star grow and everything would be okay. I hadn’t been sick in so long, we’d decided on our top four names, for a girl we had Aisling and Luna and for a boy we had Cronan and Caleb. Mor had accidentally called the baby her nephew, but Rhys was still convinced Little Star was going to be a girl. I was sitting at home, Rhys had gone out to buy some more peppermint tea as I was on my last cup. I was curled up on the sofa, sipping it contently.

“Well, are you going to make an appearance today?” I asked, staring down at my stomach. The baby merely kicked, slightly harder than usual, but a kick all the same. “I’m dying to meet you, your daddy really wants to meet you too, and all your aunts and uncles. We all really want to meet you, and give you cuddles. I think you’ll be the cutest baby ever, and I hope you look like your daddy.” I whispered. The baby kicked a bit more.  
Rhys arrived back with the tea and took a seat beside me, laying a hand on my stomach.

“Still not ready, Little Star?” he asked. I laughed, but halted. “What’s wrong?” Rhys asked.

“Little Star must have kicked my bladder. I need another pair of underwear.” I mumbled.

“Feyre, what if that was your water breaking?” Rhys asked.

“It could be or may-” I was cut off by a sharp pain in my stomach. Rhys’s eyes lit up.

“Little Star is ready! Come on we have to go to Amren now!” he announced, sweeping me up into his arms and dashing out of the house. He ran swiftly to the healers, the pains only kept coming. It was every few minutes, Rhys was timing them and running until we finally reached our destination. He bounded through the waiting room, running straight to Amren’s office.

“Baby ready to arrive?” she asked, without looking at us. Rhys lay me down on the bed and breathed a faint yes. “Okay, we’ll check how far along you are. How often are contractions?” she asked.

“Every two minutes and they last exactly one minute.” Rhys replied.

“Okay, that’s quite quick. We’ll go straight to a delivery room to be on the safe side.” Amren said. I was panting, the pain searing through me. I felt dizzy, but I needed to be alert. Rhys held my hand as we trudged to the delivery room. Amren helped me lie down and Rhys got me into one of those paper gown things. I lay back as Amren did her job. “Nine centimeters.” she announced. “That was really really quick. I think the baby should be here within the next half hour, depending on how quick the actual birth is.” Rhys only took my hand and kissed my sweaty brow. “Feyre, when I tell you to push, you push, okay? This looks like it’s going to be quick. You’re too far along for any pain relief.” I nodded and squeezed Rhys’s hand.  
The next few moments were a blur and before I knew it Amren was telling me to push. I sucked in a breath and pushed hard. Her words buzzed through my ear, I could only hear Rhys, he was right beside me, whispering in my ear. Telling me he loved me, to keep going and to breathe. I focused on his voice, as well as trying to get this baby out of me. My vision got spotty, I couldn’t speak. I could barely breathe. The pain was overwhelming, I closed my eyes, listening for Rhy’s voice. I tried to open my eyes, but couldn’t. My hand dropped from Rhys’s. I heard faint crying before the darkness claimed me and all I could hear was Rhys screaming.

“Feyre! Stay with me!”


	2. Darling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continued straight from Chapter One. Rhys's P.O.V.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this is really short. I was going to continue the story in this chapter but I just wanted to get this part up. I think it's probably the most important part to the story.

“FEYRE!” I screamed her name, Amren had delivered the baby, I couldn’t bring myself to look at my Little Star. Feyre had blacked out, her breathing shallow, healers flooded the room, strong arms tried to drag me away from her, but I refused to let go. I wasn’t going to let my wife die. Not now, our lives had just begun, she was still so young and I was not having my Little Star grow up without Feyre. 

“Rhysand!” someone called. Mor. 

“FEYRE!” I bellowed again. “Stay with me, darling.” I whispered. The healers began working on her, I couldn’t watch, I only looked at her face, clasping her hand firmly. “Don’t leave me, Feyre darling. You’re going to wake up. You’re going to wake up and we’re going to go over and see our Little Star. You did it, darling. You did it. You can’t go now, you can’t leave us. You have to open your eyes.” I kissed her brow. “You’re going to wake up and Amren is going to bring our Little Star over to us, we’re going to settle on a name and cry over how beautiful our Little Star is.” I started to cry. Tears splashed onto Feyre’s face. “You’re going to look at me, darling. My darling Feyre. You’re going to open those beautiful eyes of yours. We’ll see our little baby and walk out of here. Begin our family life. When you wake up, we’ll go home, you’ll show Little Star that perfect forest room you painted. I’ll make you your favourite dinner, bake you lots of cookies and brownies and we’ll cuddle and watch our Little Star fall asleep in the cot beside our bed. Then we’ll stay up talking, like we did on our first date, and I’ll take care of you. I’ll bring you all the drinks you want, you can drink coffee again and I’ll massage all your sore muscles and kiss you and whisper sweet nothings in your ear until you fall asleep curled up in my arms. Little Star can even share our bed tonight. The three of us, a happy family. We’ll just stay up looking at our darling Little Star sleeping, at the life we brought to this world. Feyre, you can wake up. You are a survivor. You survived losing your mother at eight, you survived near starvation, you became the sole provider for your family at fourteen, you survived him, and if I ever see that scumbag, I’ll beat the shit out of him, you helped so many people by exposing that bitch, Ianthe. And me, you found me while I was broken. I was shattered until I met you, I was certain I’d never be able to fall in love because that bitch broke me so much, I never thought I could find it in my heart to love someone as much as I love you. I thought I’d live out my days alone, writing my novels, hiding secrets about my life in those pages. I thought it was stupid trying to fall in love, because everyone I loved was taken from me. My mother, my sister, and when that bitch broke me, I couldn’t bring myself to tell my friends and I felt like I was slipping away from them. Mor pestered me for the story, to find out what had broken me so much that I was just a void of darkness. But you saw that darkness and filled it with stars. And I love you for that.” Her eyelashes fluttered slightly.

“Keep talking to her, Rhysand!” Amren yelled. Other healers were tending to Little Star.

“When I first met you, I thought you were the most beautiful person I’d ever laid eyes on. And when you gave me that double take, I felt my heart leap. For the first time in so long, I felt confident again. As if it wasn’t just a mask. And I started talking to you. And you were so so perfect. You didn’t just see the mask of a broken man, you saw me and accepted me. I made it my goal to try get you out on one date. Just one, I had to see you again. I felt comfortable talking to you. Not afraid, never afraid. So we had our first date, and we went back to your place and we talked for hours and hours. I told you everything there was to know about me. I even told you about Amarantha. It took me three years to even speak her name to Mor. Although she only had me in her clutches for two years, she haunted me for five. But you, it felt right to tell you. And after that first night I knew I was falling in love with you. If not already in love with you. I tried not to get my hopes up but Mor told me what you thought of me. That you felt the same, and that she would kill me if I broke your heart. I would never dream of breaking your heart, Feyre. And then we had our, technically, third date. Romantic dinner, being stalked by my cousin and then we ended up back at yours again. And you gave me the option of taking that last step with you, you assured me it was okay and that you understood. And I loved you for it, that night was amazing. And the months that followed it. I was planning to propose to you just after three months together. I know you are my soulmate, and when everything was ready, on your birthday, you gave me the greatest gift of all, one simple word. Yes. You said yes and then we were married. And now, now Feyre, we have a baby together. You are the mother of my child. That shy beautiful girl I met in the bookstore married me, carried my child and then brought our child into the world. I bet Little Star is beautiful, just like you. I hope Little Star looks like you. I don’t know yet, because I’m waiting for you to open your eyes. Come on, Feyre darling, you can do it. Open your eyes, my love. Just open them, or don’t, squeeze my hand, or move slightly, say something, anything. I love you, Feyre.” her eyelashes fluttered again. “I love you, Feyre.”

Again.

“I love you, Feyre.”

Again.

“My darling, Feyre, I love you.” I pressed a kiss to her cheek.

Her lips parted.

“Feyre, I love you.”

A smile tugged onto her lips.

“I love you.”

She coughed.

“I love you.”

Her eyelids started to move. As if she was blocking the light from flooding into her eyes.

“I love you.”

She squeezed my hand.

“I love you.”

Her grip tightened.

“I love you, Feyre. My darling, Feyre, I love you so so much.”

Her eyes flew open and she gasped for air. I sobbed and started kissing her forehead, her hair, her cheeks, her nose, her hands, her lips, telling her I loved her over and over and over. She started crying.

“I love you too, Rhysand.” she whispered, as I kissed her brow again. Amren walked over to us. Mor, Cassian and Azriel followed her. How they got there, I didn’t care. Feyre was alive. “Where’s Little Star?” she asked, breathlessly.

“She’s right here.” Mor whispered, gesturing to the small cot beside the bed. 

“Little Star is a girl.” I whispered. Feyre’s tears turned silent. She glanced over to the cot, a tiny baby lay there, sleeping soundly. She’d fallen asleep during my panic. She was beautiful. Her hair was black, like mine. She had Feyre’s face, full mouth, freckles, round cheeks, button nose. She was so small. So so small. 

“She’s healthy.” Amren said, picking her up and handing her to me. I sat beside Feyre, admiring our daughter’s tiny face. She was wrapped in a silver blanket, she looked exactly like our Little Star. I just stared at her, tears falling silently. Feyre did the same, stroking her hair out of her eyes. Her eyes fluttered open, they were violet like mine. She took us both in. 

“Hello beautiful.” I whispered. 

“You are so so beautiful.” Feyre whispered.

“Yes, you are. So beautiful. Just like your mummy, aren’t you Little Star?” I whispered. She clasped her tiny hand around my finger. 

“What will we call her?” Feyre asked.

“Aisling.” I whispered. Our little dream, our little wish. Feyre nodded.

“Hello Aisling,” she whispered. “You are so beautiful.”

Aisling looked up at us both, eyes fluttering shut again. Amren walked to the bed. 

“Feyre, you’ll have to stay here until your strength is built up.” she said. Feyre only nodded, tears still escaping her eyes and she looked at Aisling. I turned to look at Feyre. 

“I love you.” I said, kissing her lightly. She smiled against my lips. I made a silent vow to always protect Feyre and Aisling, for as long as I lived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aisling pronounced Ash-ling
> 
> Again, this is super short but I just needed to clear up that Feyre didn't die. At first I wanted to add a bit more and just leave the cliffhanger, but I felt too guilty, so I decided to leave it at this.


	3. Dreams and Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to Feyre's P.O.V.
> 
> I'm not sure how to even summarize this chapter to be honest?

After four long days, I was finally allowed go home. Rhys stayed over each night, only going home when Mor and the others arrived. Aisling was doing well, she was still perfectly healthy. I’d sent messages to Nesta, Elain and Alis. Nesta arrived with Cassian to see her and Elain was currently traveling with Lucien to come visit. I was still waiting for a reply from Alis. Rhys carried Aisling in his arms, the entire walk home. She was dressed in a little violet babygrow and wrapped in that silver blanket. I walked slowly beside them, still stiff from Aisling’s birth. We reached our house and sat down on the sofa, I curled up beside Rhys, who was watching Aisling adoringly. I smiled, not believing that everything was really okay. I prepared a bottle for Aisling and handed it to Rhys, who wanted to do everything now. I wondered how long that would last. 

“Elain and Lucien should be here today.” I said, easing myself down beside them.

“Does this mean I have to let other people hold Aisling?” he asked, looking up at me.

“I’m afraid so, Mor, Azriel, Cassian and Nesta have already held her.” I replied.

“Cassian looked like he was going to shit himself the entire time.” he laughed.

“I think that was the first time he’s ever held a baby.” I mused. 

“Probably was. And I was thinking about asking Azriel to be godfather.” he said.

“Azriel and Mor will be perfect godparents. But if we have any more kids we’ll probably have to ask one of my sisters to be godmother.”

“My vote is on Elain.” 

“Mine too. Although I doubt Nesta would be happy if we chose Cassian and Elain.”

“Hmm, well maybe we could work around that.”

“I’m not judging how many kids we have based on the amount of options we have for godparents. I don’t even think I’ll be able to have another.” I laughed.

“Let’s just enjoy having Aisling.” he said, kissing my cheek. She guzzled down her bottle and puked all over Rhys’s trousers. “Good girl.” he mumbled, kissing her head. I laughed and went to get him a cloth. He wiped it up, although it looked like it would stain. He handed Aisling over and got up to go to the kitchen.

“What are you doing?” I asked, when I heard him moving things around.

“I promised you cookies and brownies while the healers were trying to wake you up.” he replied. I stood gently, holding Aisling carefully.

“I heard you, you know.” I whispered, kissing his neck. 

“All of it?” he asked.

“No, I heard you telling me to stay with you, then everything went quiet. Then you told me you loved me and started telling me about what you thought when we met. Then you kept telling me you loved me.” I replied.

“You reacted when I said it.” he mumbled.

“I was trying to tell you I loved you too.” I said. He turned to face me, tears in his eyes.

“I was so scared.” he whispered. “I thought you were gone.”

“I know. I was scared too, scared that I’d never see you again, never see our baby, and that I’d be leaving you alone.” I replied, using one hand to wipe away his tears.

“Cassian tried to pull me away from you, but I wasn’t leaving you there. I needed to try convince you not to leave me.”

“I wasn’t dying on purpose.” he winced at the word “dying.”

“I couldn’t even look at Aisling. I was afraid if I turned away you’d be gone. Amren said your body was still weak, that’s why you… passed out. I should have been able to help.”

“Enough. It is not your fault my body was weak. I thought I was stronger than what I am.”

“You are strong, Feyre. You just had a baby.”

“But my body was still weak. If things hadn’t happened with… him, then none of this would have happened. I would have had Aisling a lot easier, without nearly killing myself.”

“If I ever see him, I swear, Feyre, I will kill him.” he whispered.

“He’s in prison, he’s never getting out. I don’t want him to haunt us. You don’t let her haunt you.”

“What she did to me didn’t risk your life.” he cut in.

“I know, I know. But I’m okay, Rhys. We’re all okay.” I whispered, kissing him gently. “I’m going to put Aisling down for her nap.” I mumbled, carrying her into the little baby basket we had in the sitting room, Rhys carried it into the kitchen so we could keep an eye on her, I draped a blanket over her and she settled down instantly. Rhys shoved the tray of cookies into the oven and got to work on brownies. I wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my head on his back. He turned and kissed my hair, wrapping his arms around me. I leaned up to look at him, he captured my lips with his own and slid his hands into my hair. I pulled him closer and deepened the kiss, running my tongue over his bottom lip. His tongue met mine and I moaned quietly. He pulled away.

“Easy, darling, you were told at least three weeks until I get to worship you.” he said.

“Don’t remind me.” I groaned. 

“Three weeks is nothing. You’ll survive.” he laughed.

“Will you?” I asked.

“My wife’s safe recovery matters more to me.” he replied. 

“There’s no rule saying we can’t make out.” I mumbled.

“When have we ever just made out?” he laughed, kissing my neck, tugging gently with his teeth. 

“Well we’ll have to learn how to, since I’m out of action for another two weeks and three days.” I replied, tilting my neck to grant him better access. 

“You’re counting down the days?” he asked, looking into my eyes again.

“Can you blame me?”

“I am quite irresistible.” he laughed.

“Be a good husband and finish those brownies.” I said, crossing my arms and taking a seat at the dining table. He laughed and got back to work. When the cookies were done he put the brownies in. By the time the brownies were ready, the doorbell went off. Aisling stirred but stayed asleep. I got up to answer the door. Elain and Lucien stood in the doorway. I stepped aside to let them in.

“Where’s my little niece?” Elain squealed.

“Asleep, she’s in the kitchen.” I replied, as Elain hugged me tightly. I hugged Lucien and lead them to the kitchen. Rhys had taken Aisling up into his arms again. “I did tell you you’d have to share, Rhys.” I laughed.

“It’s okay! I can wait!” Elain exclaimed. 

“He’s a bit protective of her.” I said. 

“I’m not, I just like holding my daughter, is it such a crime?” Rhys replied. He reluctantly handed her over to Elain who gushed over the baby. We took a seat in the sitting room, Rhys brought in plates of cookies and brownies and plopped down beside me. Aisling had woken up and was lying in my arms. Rhys threw an arm around my shoulders. 

“So, what’s new with you two?” I asked.

“Not much, but there is something you should know.” Elain said, looking up at Lucien.  
“You’re not pregnant are you?” I asked. Elain shook her head.

“Is it bad news?” Rhys asked, gripping my shoulders a bit tighter. I placed Aisling into her basket, which was now standing beside where we sat. 

“Tamlin was let out of prison on good behaviour.” Lucien said. I was thankful that I’d put Aisling into her basket, as I lost all feeling in my body. My face paled and my eyes widened in shock. Rhys held me tightly. 

“It’s okay, he can’t come near you.” he mumbled.

“He doesn’t know where you are.” Elain said, moving closer and taking my hand. I didn’t know when I started crying. Rhys took my face in his hands and knelt before me.

“Look at me. He can’t touch you. He doesn’t know where you are. He can’t hurt you. And if I hear word he so much as steps foot in Velaris, I’ll personally kill him.” Rhys said, not breaking eye contact. He wiped my tears away and kissed my forehead. 

“If it’s any consolation, he hasn’t dared come near me.” Lucien said. “He was smart enough to get out, he’ll be smart enough to make sure he doesn’t go back in.”

“How could they let him out after all he did?” I whispered. Suddenly I was back in that house, in the hallway, banging on the door crying to be let out. Then I was in that study, hiding behind a bookshelf as he thrashed the place, my arms were bleeding from the vase he’d thrown at me. Then I back in that hallway, when he finally came home, being dragged into that bedroom. Then I was back on that bed, crying as he pinned me down and buried himself in me. Then I was on the floor, trying to block his fists. 

“Feyre!” Rhys yelled, gripping my shoulders. “He can’t touch you, he can’t see you, he won’t ever see you.” I looked up at Elain and Lucien. 

“I think you should go.” I whispered. Elain looked horrified, Lucien took her hand and they left. I braced my hands on the floor. When did I fall onto the floor? Rhys took my face in his hands. 

“He can’t get to you. He won’t get anywhere near you.” Rhys whispered, kissing my nose.

“You’re right. He won’t get anywhere near me.” I said, drying my eyes. Rhys pulled me close and kissed my hair. He held me in his arms. “Rhys.” he looked down at me. “Can I get a cookie?” I asked. He huffed a laugh and helped me stand, we sat down onto the sofa and he brought the plate of cookies closer to me. He took Aisling in his arms again and wrapped his free arm around me.

“It’s going to be okay.” he mumbled. 

“I know, I just got a shock.” I whispered. 

“I love you.” he said,

“I love you too.” I replied. He kissed my hair again.

**** 

I placed Aisling in her pram and walked out the door, I closed the door behind us and locked up. I tucked her teddy beside her. We had our three week check up today. Aisling made her tiny baby noises and wriggled her hands. I smiled at her and started to walk. I looked down at her smiling face. She was already so alert.

“We’re going to go see Amren now! Well you see her all the time, but we’re going to go get our check ups, yeah! Isn’t that right?” I was terrified I would end up with permanent baby voice, but hearing Aisling giggle at everything I said was worth it. “And we’re going to go visit Auntie Mor and Uncle Azriel, yes we are, yes we are. So we’ll pick up some cakes to bring with us. Then daddy will come over to us when he’s finished his meeting, won’t he?” Rhys had so much work to do lately, he’d only gone back to work recently. He was considering giving up teaching so he could spend more time with us and focus solely on writing, where he could work from home. I knew he wouldn’t give up teaching, he loved it.  
I walked into the healer’s, pulling silly faces at Aisling as we waited for Amren to call us in. She came out a moment later and we walked in, well I walked, Aisling lay in her pram. I took Aisling out and handed her to Amren, who weighed and measured her. I sat up onto the chair. When Aisling was given the all clear, Amren started on me. 

“Someone made a speedy recovery.” she said. “Everything’s great.”

“All good?” I asked.

“Yes, everything is perfect.”

“So I can resume normal daily activities?” I asked.

“If you mean exercise, yes but take it easy, and if you mean can yourself and Rhys go back to your usual routine, also yes.” she replied.

“I meant exercise.”

“We both know you didn’t.” She was right, I didn’t. I fixed Aisling back into the pram, she’d fallen back asleep. I tucked her in and we left Amren’s office. I walked down towards the local bakery, I chose some muffins and the baker wrapped them up for us. I was placing the box in the carry part of the pram when I heard it. 

“There you are.” that familiar growl. The growl of my worst nightmares that I had thought I’d ridden myself of. I was probably hearing things. I stood up straight and placed my hand on the pram. I smiled at Aisling and looked up to see the path. Then I saw him. 

“Tamlin.” I breathed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think Feyre would definitely be one of those people who talks to a baby like they actually know what's going on, I do it all the time with my baby cousins, it's fine with one cause she can kinda talk now, but I get some strange looks with the other, since he's usually just staring at me like I have six heads while I tell him his feet are smelly or something like that. 
> 
> Anyway, getting to work on the next chapter hopefully tomorrow, but it could be delayed as my big brother is lending me Game of Thrones and I'm dying to read it.


	4. Embrace the Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tamlin shows up in Velaris and wants to take back what he believes to be his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to change the rating to M. 
> 
> Smut at the end of chapter.

Tamlin was here in Velaris. My worst nightmare had come true. I glanced at my sleeping angel, silently praying this was all a nightmare. I’d wake up any moment now, I’d wake up in bed with Rhys’s arms wrapped around me, Aisling asleep in her cot. I blinked quickly. This was not a dream. Tamlin was here, he was right in front of me, the only thing separating us was Aisling. I needed to grab her out of the pram, I didn’t care what happened to the pram, I could buy another one. But what if I dropped her? Where would I go? I didn’t want Tamlin anywhere near my friends and family. I couldn’t go back to the healers, Amren was there. Azriel and Morrigan were at home, but Mor knew what time I was due over at, she might come looking for me. I couldn’t go near the University, Rhys was there, I fully believed he would kill Tamlin, although I wanted Tamlin dead, I didn’t want my husband to kill him. I couldn’t even go to the police, Cassian would come over to me and then Tamlin would see Cassian. I knew my family could protect me from him, but I didn’t want to risk their lives. Tamlin looked at the pram.

“Is that mine?” he growled.

“No. Considering that fact you haven’t tainted me in nearly two years.” I replied, trying to stay calm, I had to for Aisling’s sake.

“Who’s is it?” he snarled.

“Mine.” I replied. “What are you doing here?”

“I got out, good behaviour and a few smiles, the police back home are useless.” he laughed.

“They must be if they let you out. I’ll be leaving now.” I turned around and walked quickly. Aisling was still asleep, I made it to the bridge when he jumped in front of me.

“You’re not going anywhere.” he snarled.

“Yes, I am. You don’t own me.” I tried to hide my fear. 

“I did once.”

“You never owned me.” I snapped. This wasn’t happening.

“I’ll ask you this once more, who’s is it?” he said, pointing to the pram. 

“Mine and my husband’s.” I said, holding up my hand, showing my sapphire engagement ring and silver wedding band. 

“Husband?”

“Yes, husband.”

“You’re married?”

“Last I checked, having a husband meant I was married.”

“And who is this husband of yours?”

“None of your concern.” I replied, smoothly. I silently prayed someone would find me. I moved Aisling’s pram to my side, moving her away from him. 

“Who is he? I’ll kill him.”

“He’s done nothing to you.”

“He’s spoiled what’s mine.”

“You own nothing here.” 

“He has taken the woman I love, fucked her, had a fucking child with her-”

“If you loved me you wouldn’t have ended up in prison because of me.” I rolled up my sleeve, showing my tattooed arm, scars were hidden by the ink. “You did this.” I said, tracing them. “If you loved me, I wouldn’t have scars from your beatings, from things you hurt me with, I wouldn’t have left my old home, if you loved me you wouldn’t have raped me, you wouldn’t have locked me away, you wouldn’t have beaten me. There was no love in our relationship, maybe once, but you changed, back into that monster I once hated, you just wanted a good little wife to warm your bed and satisfy your needs, when I failed to do that, you beat me for it. When I came here, I was broken, I rarely spoke to my sisters and I struggled to make new friends. For six months, I only had my job and two friends, then I met my now husband. And he loves me. Loves me like you never did, treats me right, is there for me, cares for me, sees when something is wrong. I don’t hide when I hear him coming home, I don’t cower in fear when he’s around, I hear him unlock the door and I smile and run to see him. When I get upset or scared, he comforts me, doesn’t shove his cock inside me and cover my mouth so I stop sobbing. I loved you once, and it was the biggest mistake of my life. But I found happiness, you don’t control me anymore. No one does.” I yelled, tears were threatening to spill from my eyes. Tamlin just stared at me. He went to grab my arm. There was a small crowd gathering, I scanned it for a familiar face.  
I inched backwards, moving Aisling behind me.

“Come here now, we’re leaving.” he growled.

“No. I’m not going anywhere with you.” I yelled.

“Yes you are.”

“No she’s not.” I turned and almost fainted with relief. Mor, she’d come looking for me. Mor stood beside me and squeezed my shoulder. “I think it’s time for you to leave, before I call the police.”

“What are they going to do? I think you should mind your own business you stupid bitch.”

“Watch your mouth.” Azriel said, coming up on my other side. He gripped my hand, passing a note subtly. I put my hand behind his back and read it quickly. Three simple words.

“On his way”

Rhys was coming, probably sprinting here as fast as he could, maybe he got the police, that’s why he wasn’t here yet. Tamlin moved closer to us. I gripped Aisling’s pram, she started to cry.

“Shut that thing up!” Tamlin roared, moving towards the pram.

“You stay away.” Mor said, I stepped around them to see Aisling.

“You’re okay, I’m here. It’s all okay.” I whispered. 

“You should go.” Azriel said, his voice was lethally calm. 

“I’m not leaving without Feyre.” Tamlin snarled.

“You’re not taking her anywhere.” a voice drawled from behind me. Rhys. I nearly cried. He stepped up beside me, wrapping his arm around my wait. “Now that you’re done harassing my wife and making my daughter cry you can, how do I put this politely… fuck off.” 

“You don’t tell me what to do.”

“No but we can.” Cassian said, a crowd of other police officers stood with him. “Were you stupid enough to think that your prison guards didn’t put a tracker in you? Out of all those idiots you fooled, only two believed you would go after Feyre. Which you did. I hear the cells where you come from are horrible. You can come with us now.”

“I’m not going back there.” Tamlin roared.

“Um, yes you are.” Cassian looked to me. “Is he stupid or just a little slow?” he looked back at Tamlin. “Come on, we can do this the easy way or the hard way?”

“What’s the easy way?” he asked.

“You let me put these handcuffs on and we go now.”

“And the hard way?”

“The reason there are nine other officers with me.” Cassian replied.

“You’re not taking me.” Tamlin said. 

“You heard him, hard way.” Cassian drawled. I moved aside, Rhys still holding me tightly. Cassian’s officers surrounded Tamlin. Within seconds, he was cuffed, hands behind his back, two officers dragging him away. “Feyre, feel free to give him a slap or something.” Cassian said. “I’ll make sure this lot turn away.”  
Before I could move, Rhys had stepped forward and punched Tamlin right in the nose. 

“That’s for what you did to Feyre.” he struck again. “That’s for today.” he punched him again. “That’s for making my daughter cry.” Again. “That’s for making my wife suffer.” One last punch. “And that’s for me. If you ever get out of that shithole, you stay away from us, stay away from here or I swear I will kill you.”

“It’s okay Rhys, where’s he’s going, you never leave.” Cassian smiled. The prison on the rock. The world’s worst ended up in there, and never left. Cassian and his men took Tamlin away. Rhys held me tightly, kissing my hair and he rubbed my back.

“You’re okay.” he whispered. I buried my face in his chest, breathing in his citrus scent. He stroked my hair gently. Mor and Azriel approached us slowly. 

“You did good back there.” Mor said, grabbing my hand. 

“Come on, let’s get you home.” Rhys said. Mor pushed Aisling as we walked to our house. I took a seat on the sofa, Rhys wrapped his arm around me as Mor and Azriel sat down. Azriel was holding Aisling, she pulled at his watch. 

“Who needs coffee?” Mor asked. 

“I think everyone needs coffee.” Azriel replied, as Aisling wrapped her hand around his finger. Mor got up to go to the kitchen.

“I think she likes you.” I said to Azriel. He smiled at the baby, letting her grab his fingers and squeeze them. Azriel’s hands were badly scarred courtesy of his cruel brothers, he looked happy to see Aisling playing with them and not caring about the state they were in. Mor came back in and handed me a cup of coffee, she placed Rhys’s on the coffee table and went back to get the last two cups. 

“We can mind Aisling tonight if you want some time to recover from earlier.” Mor offered. I considered it, I hadn’t ever been separated from Aisling, and would tonight be the best night for it?

“What do you think?” I asked Rhys.

“Well I think you do need a break for tonight to relax, but I’m very biased about where Aisling goes, so you can decide.” he replied. 

“It’ll be fun, she can stay with her godparents, we’ll read loads of books and she’ll stick to her routine.” Mor said.

“Thank you, that would be nice.” I said. Mor looked delighted. Rhys got up to fill the baby bag with essentials.

“We’re going to have lots of fun tonight, aren’t we?” Mor said, Aisling laughed at her. 

“Cassian will probably check up on you tonight.” Azriel said. “Make sure everything’s okay.” I nodded. Rhys strolled back in and placed the bag on the table.

“Got everything?” I asked.

“Bottles, formula, nappies, dribblers, soothers, teddy bear, change of clothes, blanket, pyjamas, special blanket, baby books and I wrote her routine down. The travel cot is folded up for them, sheets and pillow in it.” he recited. 

“We’ll take care of her.” Mor said. 

They stayed a while, before buckling Aisling up and taking her home with them, after Rhys had given them a quick test of course. 

“I think we should go over and check on her.” Rhys said.

“Rhys they left two minutes ago, I can still see them from the window.” I replied.

“But anything can happen in two minutes!” he argued. I stood and wrapped my arms around him.

“She’ll be fine. Az and Mor are more than capable. Plus, it’ll give them some practice for when they decide to have kids.” I laughed. He kissed my hair and smiled. “Oh, we both got the all clear at the healers today.” I mumbled.

“You’re better?” I nodded. “And Aisling’s healthy?” I nodded again. “That’s great.” he said, kissing my lips softly. I stood on my toes and pulled him closer, he wrapped his arms around me tightly as my tongue slipped into his mouth, it met his and he deepened the kiss. Fire seared through my veins as he lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his hips, brushing up against the evidence of what I was doing to him. I moaned quietly, he pulled away slightly.  
“Is this what you want, Feyre darling?” he breathed, kissing my neck.

“God yes.” I whispered. 

“Are you sure, after today-”

“Rhys, all I need right now is you. I don’t want to think about today, it’s over. And I’ve been wanting you for too long to delay this any further.” At that his lips found my neck again and he walked us upstairs to our bedroom. He made for the bed. “Wall.” I mumbled. He kissed me fiercely again and pinned me up against the wall. His hand went to my thigh and he pushed the skirt of my dress up, pulling it over my head. He set me down to pull my leggings off while I worked on his shirt and his trousers. When there was nothing separating us, he pinned me again. He kissed my collarbone, moving down to my breasts. I pulled face towards me and reached down, trying to guide him to my entrance.

“No way, darling. I’ve been waiting for this too, I’m taking my time with you.” he whispered, tugging at my ear with his teeth. He lifted me over to the bed, I looked into his eyes, hoping my disappointment showed. “I’ll bring you back over to the wall in a few minutes. I want to play first.” he said, taking one of my breasts in his mouth. His fingers slid between my legs, slipping between my folds where I was already soaked. He growled his approval and slid down my body, he left a trail of kisses down my stomach all the way to my naval. The first lick of his tongue had me bucking my hips to meet his mouth, but Rhys was serious about taking his time. He licked a long line through me, going so slowly. 

“Rhys, please.” I begged. He ignored me and continued to lick me slowly. He used his teeth to nip softly, still going painfully slow. I raised my hips, hoping it would egg him on, but no. He continued torturing me with how slow he was going. 

“Feeling restless, darling?” he asked.

“Come on, Rhys, stop teasing.” I moaned. He went slightly faster, but not fast enough. I was about to speak again, when he slid a finger in. He breathed a curse and slid his finger in and out, before adding another. He flicked his tongue over more sensitive spots, building his pace bit by bit. I writhed under him, my hips bucking to meet his mouth. He didn’t hold them down, instead he just plunged his fingers in deeper and went a tiny bit faster. I was so close, and he knew it, he was dragging this out. My climax found me sooner than I expected, he worked me through it, lapping it all up. Then he came back over me and started kissing my neck.

“Are you ready?” he whispered, teeth grazing my neck. 

“Yes.” I breathed. I wrapped my legs around his waist and he stood, bringing me over to the wall. He pinned me up against the wall and slid in slowly. He kissed me fiercely as he picked up his pace, I threw my head back against the wall as he pounded in deeper. I breathed his name and he groaned. He went faster, bracing one hand against the wall, I dragged my nails across his back, I started to lose feeling in my legs, he carried me to the bed and lay me down, continuing to pound into me. Before I knew it, pleasure tore through me and I was limp in his arms, he finished soon after me. We lay down panting. 

“You have no idea how badly I’ve wanted to do that.” Rhys breathed.

“You’re the one who didn’t want to have sex while I was pregnant.” I laughed.

“Bullshit.” he said.

“You were afraid you were going to poke the baby.” I replied.

“Shut up.” he muttered, pulling me in for another kiss.


	5. We didn't just learn to see stars. We became stars.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Direct follow up from last chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the final chapter for now, I might continue at a later stage, maybe have Aisling go through a rebellious teen stage? Anyway, I was thinking about a Feysand College AU for my next fic or maybe Samlaena? Either a college fic about one of those or a Lysandra/Aedion fic after Empire of Storms. (maybe a Spellbook of the Lost and Found fic but that fandom seems to be non-existent at the moment).  
> Please comment which fic you'd be more interested in :)

Without warning he snatched Aisling from her pram. I screamed and tore down the street after him, pushing people out of the way. I jumped over every obstacle, he stopped at the bridge. I reached for my baby, but he dangled her over the river. 

“NO!” I begged. “Please, I’ll do anything.” I screamed. His grin widened.

“Come back with me.” Tamlin said. 

“I will, I’ll go back with you. Just give me my baby.” I cried.

“I’m not having some bastard’s child in my house. The only children to occupy my house will be ours.” he snarled. My tears splashed onto the ground.

“Please, let me bring her to her father.” I begged. 

“He can come get her.” Tamlin growled, with that, he dropped Aisling into the river. I screamed and hopped over the railing. I couldn’t find her. Next I was being dragged out of the water and I saw her blanket float away. I dove back in, thrashing in the water. Strong hands gripped me.

“FEYRE!” My eyes snapped open, I was in my bedroom, Rhys was gripping my shoulders and shaking me. My throat was raw and my face was wet. “It was just a nightmare.” Rhys whispered. I burst into tears and threw myself onto him. He held me tightly, rocking back and forth. “It was just a nightmare.”

“He took her. He took her out of the pram and we were on the bridge, he held her over the water, I had to go with him in exchange for her life, but when I said I’d go he said he wouldn’t have her in the house because she wasn’t his. I told him I’d bring her to you and he said you could find her, then he dropped her and I couldn’t find her and-” I sobbed again, my tears soaking his bare skin. 

“He’s gone, Feyre. He’s never getting out. And Aisling is safe, she’s with Azriel and Mor.” he whispered. I caught my breath and leaned back to look at him. He kissed my sweaty forehead. “She’s safe, Feyre. I’m sorry I couldn’t come quicker today, but I promise you he will never lay a hand on you ever again, and he’ll never come near Aisling again, if he does, I’ll chuck him into the river and hold his head under.” I wrapped my arms around him. He stroked my hair gently. “We’re all okay.” he whispered again. I was beginning to feel drowsy again. He lay me down softly, wrapping his arms around me, pressing kisses to my hair. I laid my hand over his heart and soon sleep claimed me. It wasn’t filled with sweet dreams though.   
I was tied to a familiar bed, in a familiar room, Tamlin walked in bent over me, I started to beg him to stop but he covered my mouth. The image flickered. I was locked in a dark room, chained to the floor, Tamlin stood in the doorway. It flickered again. I was running through Velaris, Aisling in my arms. She was crying, I was running as fast I could, glancing over my shoulders to see if I could spot him. I turned into an alley, stopping to hush Aisling and catch my breath. I walked down slowly, ducking behind a bin. I peered down the alley, I saw Tamlin run by. I heard him let out a roar. Aisling had fallen back asleep. Then I was back in Tamlin’s house, walking towards a cot, I expected to see Aisling, but the baby that looked at me wasn’t her, it was Tamlin’s child. Then I was back in Velaris, scanning the ciry, Aisling back in my arms. I spotted Tamlin outside the University. Rhys was running toward him. 

“WHERE IS SHE?” Rhys shouted.

“So you’re the husband.” Tamlin laughed.

“WHERE IS MY WIFE?” Rhys yelled.

“Did you enjoy fucking her? Tainting what is mine?”

“What did you do to her?”

“I’m looking for her.” Tamlin grinned.

“You’ll never find her.” Rhys spat. “FEYRE, RUN.” he screamed. Tamlin whirled around. “FEYRE, IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, TAKE HER AND RUN.”   
I was crying. Aisling’s eyes lit up at the sound of Rhys’s voice. She was such a daddy’s girl. I looked up in time to see Tamlin turn on Rhys, he stepped forward. 

“NO!” I screamed, running towards them. I was too late, I only screamed as Tamlin plunged a knife into Rhys’s heart.  
Cold water splashed my face. Rhys was beside me again, his face worried. 

“It isn’t real.” he said. He lifted me into his arms and walked downstairs with me. He sat me down at the dining table and started making tea. I was shaking, I was still naked from earlier. Rhys took one of his shirts from our “to be ironed” pile and put it on me. He pulled on a pair of his undershorts and knelt before me. His shirt was too big on me, it stopped just above my knees. He did up a few buttons and wiped my tears away. “You’re okay.” he mumbled. He poured me a cup of tea and sat down beside me. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked. I nodded, wrapping my hands around my cup. He didn’t rush me, waiting until I was ready to talk.

“First I was back in his bed, then he had me chained to the floor, then I was running though Velaris with Aisling as he chased me, then I was back in his house and there was a baby. His baby. And then it was back to today, except he found you, and he started saying horrible things, you couldn’t see me but you told me to run, he came towards you and I ran to you but then he-” I tried to catch my breath. 

“It’s okay. You’re okay.” Rhys said, taking my hand.

“He stabbed you.” I whispered, dropping the cup. Rhys wrapped his arms around me. He cleaned up the broken cup and the tea. He scooped me up and carried me upstairs, setting me down on the carpet gently.

“Are you cold?” he asked. I shook my head. I picked up his undershorts that I’d thrown across the floor. I slipped them on. “Robbing my clothes now, darling?” he laughed. He tugged on a pair of cotton pyjama bottoms and opened the curtains. It was still dark, stars littered the sky. Our windowsill was big enough to comfortably sit in. Rhys sat sideways and swung his legs up, stretching them out the full length of the windowsill. I walked towards him, he dropped one leg to make room for me between his legs. When I was seated with my back to his chest, he lifted his leg back up and raised his knee. I lay my head against his shoulder. He moved my hair out of my eyes, I gazed out the window. “My clothes look good on you.” he whispered, kissing my head. I smiled and curled into him a bit more.

“I love you.” I said, placing my hand over his heart.

“I love you too.” he replied, fingers entwining with mine. “I fell in love with you instantly, it actually felt unreal, and I felt a bit stupid for it. But I left the bookstore that day and I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I thought it might be a crush for ages, but the exact moment I fell in love with you was when we went to see Mor’s show. You were watching her with such awe in your eyes, your eyes sparkled and you looked so happy, I couldn’t pay attention to the show because I was distracted by how beautiful you are.”

“I think I fell in love with you that night too. When we stayed up talking, it felt good to talk to you. Natural.It felt like we were meant to find each other. I came to Velaris by pure chance, I closed my eyes and picked a place on the map. I believe I chose Velaris for a reason, that reason is you.”

“You know, when I fell for you I was so shocked. I didn’t think I had it in me to fall in love after Amarantha. I thought she’d broken me so thoroughly, that I’d never love anything again. Before I met you I was writing a book about her, what she did to me, just to get it out there, but change names of course, but after I met you, I ripped all those pages up and wrote about you. You healed me, Feyre.”

“You healed me too.” I whispered.

“Clearly not if he still terrorizes you in your sleep.”

“The wound was just reopened today. But you did heal me, before I met you, I couldn’t sleep, at all. Every noise woke me, it was like I was still waiting for him to show up. But the day I met you, I slept through the night. I hadn’t managed to do that in so long, but one encounter with you and I slept. No nightmares.”

“I get nightmares too, there are three, one where I’m locked in Amarantha’s bedroom, another where you die having Aisling, you die in my arms and I can’t bring myself to even look at her, and one where he takes you from me and all I can hear is you screaming and Aisling crying.”

“We’re just two lost souls, aren’t we?” I laugh.

“Two lost souls who found each other and learned to see stars in the darkest sky.” he whispers, kissing me softly. We lay there for a while, before sleep finds us, and when it does, neither of us have a single nightmare. Although I know we’ll wake up with pains from sleeping on the windowsill, nothing could bring me to leave Rhys’s arms. We didn’t just learn to see stars, we became stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I hate me too. I've already started on the next chapter which will hopefully be up soon. 
> 
> Note on the baby names:
> 
> Aisling means wish or dream in Irish, I thought it was appropriate.  
> Luna means moon.  
> Cronan, again Irish, meaning "Little Dark One"  
> and Caleb because I was struggling and thought it could be cute.
> 
> I was going to have Réiltín (Ray-al-teen) for a girl as it literally means Little Star in Irish but I thought the pronunciation might get mixed up.


End file.
